Chasing Fire
by Sir Lady Puppie'sbottom
Summary: Ino ran away from her abusive husband, Sasuke, and took her year old baby with her—the heir of the Uchiha clan. Three years later, Sasuke has finally hunted her down—as pre-kindergarten teacher: Akira Maeno.


**Chasing Fire**

|I|

**Sasuke stared at the clues he had before him: a ready, hot breakfast, a ready, hot bath, and no proof that Ino Yamanaka ever lived in the Uchiha Manor. **Even weeks later, it still made no sense. It wasn't much to work off of, hell, it was next to nothing, but he would find her. As sure as he was a man, he'd find her. If he was lucky, he'd find her before his twenty-fifth birthday.

At first, he told himself he would trace her down only because of his son. Make no mistake; he would kill her for embarrassing him, for so clearly leaving him. He He could barley work five minutes in the ANBU without the urge to choke those sympathetic idiots. _Go home, Sasuke, take some time off. She'll come back, she'll realize you're the best choice for her, the best opportunity, give her time. _However, the ultimate offense was stealing his son, his first and only heir so far.

It's been three weeks since the traitor left, and Sasuke Uchiha is finally back on the job—as the head of the ANBU Black Ops: stealth division. And, he was late, by fifteen minutes exactly…

* * *

><p><em>June 18<em>_th__, summer_

It is too hot. Too hot to think, too hot to breathe without swallowing more heat, and too hot for Sasuke to have mercy on this little puke, the new recruit. Sasuke had the puke's throat beneath his sleek, new boots that were aching to be smothered in blood. Fuck all the staring members, wide eyed in the training courtyard.

"Do you want to repeat that?" Sasuke dares. His wrath is vicious, ticked off today and on a rampage ever since he was told he'd been replaced by that Hyuuga freak, and had to be second-in-command. Ino would get it, as sure as he was pissed off, she'd feel it real good.

"Yorf gunna kilk me!" the boy chokes out. "I diddn't efen say nuthin'! Hunest!"

Sasuke wanted to finish the little puke off, but more importantly, he could've sworn he heard the little puke say the name: Ino. If he wants to know his commanders so up close and personal, he might as well get to know the real Sasuke. "What did you ask Naruto?"

"Auf I saig waz woo is da late kummander kumin'! Wef were waiving fur em!"

Sasuke releases him, pleased with the imprint of his boots in blotchy, deep red across his neck. The boy gasped for air and Shikamaru helped him to his feet.

"My alarm didn't go off today, is this a problem?" Sasuke asks the row of ANBU members, new and old. It looks like Neji is too good to mingle with the commoners; he isn't even at the orientation for new members. Sasuke spat in the grass, "No questions, shut up, until I'm done with the tour."

They entered the tall, thick building. The boy is limping from a crushed knee after Sasuke tripped him and stomped on his throat. He struggled to keep tears out of his eyes.

They came up to the letters & information room. "This is where all the emergency letters enter in and out, but just beyond those doors any cute intern girl will give you a _very_ important message, for the right price."

No one laughs even though it's kind of a joke. Half of them were terrified they'd be the next victim, and the others were regretting voting for Sasuke to come back to work and get his mind off of…well..his runaway wife. Was he really that bad?

"This is the second level training ground, if you new recruits work hard, you might be recognized enough to get here. Don't get too excited, we're all bias and like keeping everyone just where they are, until last minute." Sasuke looked around; he was doing a terrible job. He had to prove Ino wasn't doing this to him, there's no way anyone would help him track her down, if he seemed so strung up. He forced a smile on his face. "Then again, I'm sure we'll get along just fine, you all are handsome young men."

His flattery sucked. Shikamaru frowned, Sasuke is obviously losing it. The man had one more chance to get it right, "Hey, Sasuke, you look like you might need a bathroom break, yeah?" Shikamaru whispered. "I'll take it from here."

Sasuke froze, his mouth worked to protest, but he dove around the corner, fast as anything. He moved down the halls, not making eye contacts, not returning any greetings. His fists itched to punch something, but he had to resist the lips of those stupid, smiling people. He'd be kicked off for sure.

When he got to the bathroom, he threw up, nervous out of his mind. His knees struggled to keep him straight up as he popped calming pills in his mouth. He bent his head down to the faucet and took a few gulps to wash them down. His hands gripped the sides of the sink, even though it's filthy.

The others in there finished up their peeing and got out of there as quickly as possible.

"You guys didn't even wash your hands," Sasuke scorned, before the last one emptied out. He wet his hands and ran them through his hair. "You look like a try-hard, you know that?" he said to his reflection: a man with a silver tie against a black button up shirt. The "professional" look he thought would impress everyone into thinking he was actually over Ino—correction: over her _betrayal_—he could care less about her.

Couldn't he?

Didn't he have non-stop dreams that she would get all prettied up for bed and pleasure him all night? Didn't he miss her ready cooking, her ready baths, and her formality when he came home from work?

Didn't he miss that choked look on her face whenever he tortured her with just his words? Or, or when her face was all red trying not to cry from a blow to the stomach…he missed it all. The clear authority he had over her, especially.

His hair is stupid. All slicked back, save two bangs. He liked it better spiked, no wonder everyone thought he was acting funny—he _looked_ funny! Sasuke tried to laugh, but his lips contorted into a frown. He was almost a hundred percent sure that puke had said "Ino".

That meant people were still talking. Most likely that idiot Naruto, making it harder for him to prove he could move on. Well, he couldn't move on in the bathroom, could he?

Sasuke spat into the sink and rinsed it out. By time he left the bathroom, he created a new, calmer persona. He even smiled down the same halls he had just scorned.

"My, you're looking…uh…nice today, Sasuke." Ten-Ten said. "Very…"

"Professional," Sasuke helped. "That's what I'm going for, because that's how I feel. I am an expert, after all, in human tracing, aren't I? Shouldn't I dress the part?"

"O-of course, I said it was nice, didn't I?" Ten-Ten asked, filing the neat papers in her hands into the folders. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

Good! A question he could answer. He rehearsed it a hundred times, "I'm still hurting inside, but I feel like I'm recovering at the same time."

Ten-Ten brushed her nose with her sleeve. He never lost a bit of his charming sex-appeal, even when he's off. "That's good."

The blush that swept across her cheeks didn't go unnoticed by Sasuke. Did his words have some sort of flaw in them? Too brief, too long, too believable, or too unbelievable? "I'm healing bit by bit."

What did he go and say that for? Repetition is unbelievable! It was a simple question: how are you feeling? Repeating yourself was just as bad as contradicting yourself!

Sasuke nodded and dipped, he couldn't afford to mess up any more. First, he had to change out of these clothes. Once he got to the top floor, he ran into the last person he wanted to see—well, second to last person: Neji.

"Good morning, Hyuuga. I'm almost sure I left a fresh pair of training clothes in there, my old office, that is."

"Your things have been moved out to across the hall into my old office, that is." Neji replied. Was he mocking him? Dark fury swelled inside Sasuke, but he couldn't voice it. "Right, thank you."

Sasuke turned to leave, but he just had to make sure Neji heard him. "Good morning, Neji." He repeated.

Neji nodded in reply. "You know, Uchiha, I had gone through your things. That's how I knew she left. You had a full page of vows…dark, blood-thirsty, **disturbing** promises to repay her. If I hear she even fractured a pinky—"

"I was in the moment," spit flew from gritted teeth, "I could hardly control myself."

Neji moved past him, shoulders straight, and eyes just as menacing, those pupil-less orbs. "Don't breathe easy, Uchiha, I don't tolerate this kind of retribution."

Sasuke stood there, long after the lotus smell of the Hyuuga had faded to stale air. He felt an invasion of salty, steely water in his mouth along with the urge to throw up. His breaths were rigid and he slid down against the door.

He was a fool if he thought anyone would help him find Ino now.

Either he had to convince him he really is a brokenhearted man, or leave Konoha to find her himself. For the tiniest moment, all he wanted in the world was to have his son in his arms, to listen to Ino's sweet, silky voice sing a lullaby.

Well, Sasuke got off the floor. There was no use in self-pity now.

Later that evening, staring down a cup of bottomless coffee, he got his first lead: a torn train ticket sticking from the between the bed sheets.

"I've found you," he smirked.

One-Way Tr—

Destination Village of the L—

Departure: 9:30a.m.—10—

Ino Yamanaka


End file.
